


A New Promise

by Honey_Milk277



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: As She Deserves, Barret Wedge and Biggs are literally only mentioned but shh, Chaste Kisses, Cloti Endless Summer 2020, Dorks in Love, F/M, Fluff, Jessie being the best, This wasn't beta'd we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:21:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25406818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honey_Milk277/pseuds/Honey_Milk277
Summary: Yeah," Tifa hated the way her voice snagged with emotion, so she cleared her throat and tried once more. "Yeah, it's me. I'm here Cloud."Aka, Tifa decides to finally throw a spin on that old childhood promise for the sake of the man she loves.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 11
Kudos: 49
Collections: Cloud and Tifa





	A New Promise

**Author's Note:**

> This literally started out as something I was writing bc I thought of a stupidly cute headcanon and wanted to self indulge  
> And then the Final Heaven discord server watched The Princess Bride and one of the prompts was a quote from the movie !! So I worked it in kind of barely ??  
> Anyways !! Huge shoutout to the discord server for being sweethearts and tolerating my stupid sense of humor !! 
> 
> The prompt was;  
> "Since the invention of the kiss, there have been only five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind." 
> 
> You can squint n kinda see it hopefully  
> Anyways !!  
> Enjoy 💙💜

Tifa had a long day, what with all the customers coming to Seventh Heaven being as it was a Friday night. Right now was one of those rare moments where she could take a quick break, and that she did. 

Alerting Jessie and leaving her to run the bar for a bit, she slipped out the front doors ( completely forgetting about the back door in her haste to get the hell out of the crowded building )and waved happily to the patrons who were gathered around the two outside tables, before sneaking around to the back of the building.

As she turned the corner, she saw her long time friend Cloud Strife leaning against the railing. All the tiredness that had began weighing against her body seemed to lift immediately.

"Fancy seeing you out here, Cloud." She called teasingly. She giggled when he jumped slightly, turning his head to look at her over his shoulder.

His eyebrows furrowed, and he rolled his eyes. The blonde didn't respond, just letting out a small grunt in greeting.

Any other girl would be confused or upset by that, but Tifa has long known that Cloud was a man of few words. So instead, she took it upon herself to stride over and lean against the railing with him, pressing her back against it and crossing her arms over her chest.

The pair sat in comfortable silence until the brunette brawler looked up and caught Cloud staring at her out of the corner of his eye. Noticing he had been caught, he quickly focused his gaze forward once again, making Tifa raise an eyebrow as a small grin worked its way across her lips.

"So, how's the work in town been treating you lately?" She asked.

"If Betty loses her cats one more time, I'm going to personally leash them."

At this, Tifa laughed.

"You can't _leash_ a cat, Cloud! And they only keep running away because you're so scary." 

"I am not that scary."

"Not to me, or some of the people here, but trust me. You are not someone I'd want to run into in a dark alley."

"... You can take care of yourself though." He looked at her, a confused look on his face.

_Cute_ , She thought to herself for a moment.

"That's not what I mean, Cloud. I meant if I couldn't take care of myself and didn't know you, then I wouldn't want to run into you in a dark alley."

The blonde merc only grunted in response, turning his gaze back out to the slums. Tifa sighed, closing her eyes and lifting her chin towards the sky.

Everything was silent and peaceful, and Tifa was rather enjoying the summer air blowing through her raven locks ( even if it did smell like garbage and alcohol ).

However, after a minute or so of silence, it was shattered by the sound of glass hitting the ground and breaking. Tifa jumped immediately, her eyebrows furrowing.

"They better not have-!" She started, an annoyed and angry edge lacing her words. But she stopped when she felt Cloud violently stiffen beside her.

She looked over, all previous concerns pushed to the back of her mind when her garnet eyes landed on the ex-SOLDIER clutching his head and groaning in pain.

"Cloud?" Tifa asked, concern etched into every crevice of her facial features. He didn't answer, just fixing his cold mako eyes somewhere far away into the street as they glazed over.

Tifa's heart pounded in her chest, clenching in worry for the boy from her long gone hometown, the boy who promised to come to her rescue if she was ever in a bind.

When eventually his rigid body suddenly went slack, the hand that had been clutching his downy chocobo locks falling against the railing with a thud and continuing to shake, Tifa knew she couldn't stand by meekly as she had been doing. 

So, hesitating a moment as the brawler steeled her courage, she stepped forward and softly called his name. When she got no response, she inhaled shakily and gently stepped forward once more, landing back beside him and placed a gentle hand on Cloud's elbow.

All the tension reappeared in his body upon the contact, his blue-mako gaze hardening and snapping to her ruby red's. But after a moment ( a terrifying one at the receiving end of one of his death glares ), the hardness and coldness in his gaze softened and the green that swirled in his baby blues receded, the blue even darkening much akin to the night sky they were currently under ( even if they couldn't see it as a result of being under the plate ).

"Tifa..." Cloud said, almost so soft that said woman could barely hear it. When the sound did grace her ears however, her heart constricted and a dull shiver ran the length of her spine and into her toes.

"Yeah," Tifa hated the way her voice snagged with emotion, so she cleared her throat and tried once more. "Yeah, it's me. I'm here Cloud."

One of his ever rare smiles tugged on his lips, his eyes closing in relief. Tifa decided then that he was tired, _too_ tired from the boy she remembered all those years ago.

The martial artist couldn't help but allow her hand to trail down the length of his forearm, leaving butterfly kisses against the smooth skin underneath her fingertips. She memorized the feeling subconsciously, storing it away in the back of her mind for the days Cloud would throw up his walls once more and hide behind a cool and cocky persona.

Tifa's hand stopped at his wrist where his ridiculous glove began, her pinkie brushing against the studded metal. What she had failed to notice was Cloud's eyes following her hands the whole time, curious but swarming with affection. 

He slowly turned his palm up, a silent invitation for her to continue and lace their fingers together.

Luckily, without words, Tifa picked up on his invite and eagerly accepted it, sliding her hand over the smooth metal and leather and letting her slightly smaller hand rest against his palm, interlocking their digits and giving a small reassuring squeeze. Her heart grew wings and soared when he squeezed back not even a moment later.

"Cloud," She began, bashfully greeting his eyes with hers. She froze a moment at the completely unguarded and vulnerable look that resided in them. Tifa shook her head and began again, a flush rising to her cheeks, but this time she avoided eye contact."I don't know what's going on, but I promise you that you don't have to face it alone. I know that the promise all those years ago was for _you_ to come to _my_ rescue, but you've been doing that enough lately. It's my turn to come help _you_ out in a bind."

Cloud exhaled, shaking his head ever so slightly.

"But it's a heroes job."

This time, when Tifa spoke, her eyes didnt falter or stray from his. Holding his gaze, urging him to hear and take in the sincerity of the words she uttered next.

"I don't need a hero, anymore Cloud. I need you." Cloud stiffened, straightening and gaping at the ravenette. He opened his mouth to argue, but all the fight left him at once. He slumped forward a bit, the swordsmen's unruly blonde locks covering his eyes and blocking Tifa from seeing his face. Just as anxiety and worry at saying such a foolish and pitiful thing began clawing through her chest and stomach, his gaze lifted and the purest blue she had ever seen greeted her. The sight sucked the air right out of her lungs and left her reeling, memory flooding with the night under the stars and how bright his eyes had been as they reflected the light of the stars above and shone with determination. Tifa barely even had time to register he was moving as she stared with such pure stunned adoration and wonder. When she did register that he had moved, his lips were already chastely pressed against the corner of her mouth and her heart thundered to a stop.

She sucked in a startled breath, her mind only filled with two thoughts; _Cloud Strife was kissing her_ , and _I'm in love with the boy next door_.

However, before she could regain control over her shocked body and turn her head to give him a proper kiss, the back door to the bar was thrown open. 

"Tifa-!" Came Jessie's voice, cutting off when her brown eyes caught the pair. Cloud jerked back violently like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, while Tifa needed a moment to recover from the haze that had settled over her thoughts.

_"Called_ it! Little disappointed it wasn't me he kissed first, but whatever. Anyways!" Jessie continued, a playful frown crossing her features for a moment before a wide grin replaced it once more. "Tifa we might need your help in here. There's more than a few rowdy patrons tonight."

That snapped the barmaid out of her stupor and she turned to her friend, giving her a nod.

"Alright, on it!" Jessie grinned, and turned, exiting back into the bar. But not before loudly yelling ( making sure the pair could hear her ), "Barret! Wedge! Biggs! I called it! You owe me fifty gil each boys!" Tifa snorted while Cloud glared. Noticing their hands were still linked, she gave them a squeeze and drew his attention back to her.

"I gotta go." She bit her lip, before darting forward and returning his chaste kiss earlier in the same spot. "Next time, aim for the right spot."

With a wink, she unlinked their hands and followed after Jessie into the bar, all the while Cloud stared after her with an expression filled with complete adoration ( and maybe a little bit of smugness at her flirting ).

_Whipped_ , came the voice inside his head that sounded suspiciously familiar and the blonde groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

"Fuck off." He growled to no one in particular, before following Tifa.


End file.
